Reaction To ESPN's Top 10 Fantasy Baseball Rankings For 2010

Tristan H. Cockcroft of espn.com recently published his early top 200 rankings for 2010. He based his rankings on a 10 team league using Rotisserie 5X5 scoring. I would like to share my views on his top 10 and open up the topic for discussion.

Let's start right at the top. I think Hanley should be the first overall pick with Pujols going second. Although Pujols puts up the best numbers in the game, Hanley puts up better numbers relative to his position. First base is an incredibly deep position with proven mashers such as Prince Fielder, Miguel Cabrera, Ryan Howard, Mark Teixeira, Justin Morneau, and Adrian Gonzalez as well as up and coming sluggers such as Kendry Morales and Joey Votto. Shortstop isn’t nearly as deep. There’s a noticeable drop off after Jose Reyes, Troy Tulowitzki, Derek Jeter, and Jimmy Rollins. Not to mention the top shortstops after Hanley aren’t as safe as the top first basemen after Pujols. As a result, I think Hanley is the clear cut choice with the first overall pick.

Another problem I have with his list is that Crawford at 5 is too high. Cockcroft has Crawford ranked as the second best outfielder. However, I would much rather have Kemp. They’ll both hit for roughly the same average and score just about the same number of runs. Kemp should hit around 30 home runs again next year and is a lock for 100 RBI. Crawford on the other hand with be in the 15-20 HR and 65-80 RBI range. Although Crawford will steal between 50 and 60 bases, Kemp can more than hold his own totaling 34 last year and 35 the year before. Kemp is also 5 years younger and is just about to enter his prime while Crawford has most likely peaked.

A final problem I have with Cockcroft’s top 10 is that I don’t believe Lincecum should be drafted in the first round. Although Lincecum is the best pitcher on the board, pitchers generally carry more risk than elite hitters because they are more likely to have season threatening injuries, i.e. Johan Santana, Jake Peavy, and Brandon Webb. Since early round picks are all about minimizing risk I would feel a lot more comfortable taking someone like Evan Longoria over Tim Lincecum.

These are my thoughts on Tristan’s top 10. Now the floor is yours. What’s your top 10 next year? Also, what does your top 10 look like in a keeper league?